Combination garment



July 14, 1942. pl JACKSON COMBINATION GARMENT Filed Dec. 2, 1959 INVENTOR I TTQRNEY Patented July 14, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,289,429 COMBINATION GARMENT Dorothy Jackson, New York, N. Y. Application December 2, 1939, Serial No. 307,248

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a combination garment comprising a connected shirtwaist, and shorts and a skirt which may be worn over the shorts when desired.

The invention aims to provide means whereby the waistband of the skirt will be held against sagging downward at the front, and whereby, in addition, the waistband of the skirt may be drawn in tight against the wearer at the back. In garments of this kind, known generally as play suits, it has been customary, so far as I know, to depend on a suitably tight fit of the waistband of the skirt for holding the skirt and its waistband from sagging relatively to the waistband of the shirtwaist, with the result that if the waistband is a little too loose it is apt to sag down more or less from the waistline, especially in front, as a result of the wearer lifting her arms and so drawing up the waistband of the shirtwaist or because of the weight of the skirt. In accordance with the present invention, such sagging of the waistband of the skirt in front and the necessity of having the waistband made exactly of the proper length is avoided by the provision of means for securing the waistband of the skirt to the waistband of the shirtwaist and shorts at the front, and whereby the skirt waistband may be drawn snugly about the wearers waist. Such means is most desirably in the form of a short belt which is passed through suitable belt openings in the two waistbands spaced apart a suitable distance, usually about a third of the length of the waistbands, and located at either side of the front center of the waistbands, the belt extending along the inner side of the front central portion of the waistband of the shirtwaist and shorts and through the'belt openings with its ends turned inward toward each other and connected by a buckle or other suitable adjustable connecting means. This belt thus serves as a connecting means between the two waistbands and also as a means for drawing the back and side portions of the waistband of the skirt tightly about the wearers body. Also, most desirably, the overlapping ends of the waistband of the shirtwaist and shorts are fastened together by means of a button, and the skirt is made to open down the front and the overlapping ends of its waistband have buttonholes for attachment to this button, which thus affords additional support for the front of the skirt. The belt serves also as an ornament or trimming to the garment and hides said button. D

An illustrative garment according to the invenview on a larger scale taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is. a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing a modified construction.

Referring to the drawing, the complete garment comprises a shirtwaist l0 and shorts ll permanently connected together and having a waistband I2 at the waistline, as shown in Fig. l, and a skirt l5, shown separately in Fig, 2, which may be worn over the shorts II when desired. The combined shirtwaist and shorts may be of any known or suitable pattern and style, the shirtwaist being short sleeved or long sleeved, and high neck or low neck, and with or without a collar as desired. Most desirably, the shirtwaist 'is made to open in front from the neck downward to the waistline, and the overlapping ends of the waistband are secured together by a button !5. The skirt also is most desirably made to open from its waistband downward and the overlapping ends of its waistband to button on the button It. One leg of the shorts may also open down the front in the usual manner, being secured by a zipper fastening as shown or by other suitable fastening means.

The waistband I2 of the shirtwaist and shorts has two openings, preferably buttonholed vertical slots, 29 therein spaced equal distances from the front center of the waistband, and the skirt has two corresponding openings 2| in its waistband 22 located at points at equal distances from the front center of the closed waistband, and most desirably, as shown, a little closer together than the openings in the waistband of the shirtwaist and shorts.

A belt 25 is looped through the belt openings 20 of the waistband and shorts, as shown in Fig. 1, the middle portion of the belt extending along the inner side of the front portion of the waistband between the belt openings and the ends being adapted to be secured together in front to draw and hold the waistband more or less tightly against the body as desired. For securing the ends of the belt, a buckle 26 may be provided on one end of the belt as shown, or the belt ends may be secured by other suitable fastening means or simply by being tied together if the belt is of material suitable for tying.

When the skirt is worn over the shorts, as shown in Fig. 3, the ends of the belt are passed through the belt openings 2| of the waistband of the skirt and secured together. By passing through the adjacent belt openings of the two waistbands, the belt holds the adjacent portions of the bands against any substantial relative vertical movement, thereby serving to prevent separation of the two waistbands at the front either by the lifting of the inner band or the sagging of the outer band, and the belt also, when suitably tensioned, serves to hold the waistband of the skirt drawn snugly about the back and sides of the wearers waist. In effect, the two belt end portions extend from spaced points on the inner waistband at which they are held to the waistband against relative vertical movement, and by passing through the belt openings of the outer waistband hold the adjacent portions of the two waistbands against relative vertical movement.

The belt is most desirably a fiat band of leather or other suitable material having a buckle at one end. The belt may, however, be, and the term belt as used in the claims is to be understood as meaning, any suitable strip or strand of material flexible enough to be looped through the waistband belt openings and to have the ends secured together in front by suitable fastening means or otherwise.

It is obviously not necessary for securing the front portions of the waistbands together to have the belt looped through the belt openings w th its intermediate portion extending along the inner side of the inner Waistband, as shown in Fig. 4. And instead of a complete belt, two separate belt end portions 25a (see Fig. may be provided stitched or otherwise attached at their inner ends to the inner waistband at points spaced from the front center thereof as indicated at 25b, these belt end portions being adapted to extend inward and be secured in front of the outer side of the waistband when the skirt is not worn, or, when the skirt is worn, to be passed through the belt openings 2| of the waistband of the skirt and drawn and secured together in front of the skirt waistband as before. finch an arrangement, illustrated in Fig. 5, provides for securing the front portions of the waistbands together and also for drawing the bands snu against the wearers body as with the arrangement of Fig. 4. As illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 the two separate belt end portions may have either a sliding connection with the waist or a fixed connection with the waist at the points where the belt end portions pass through the s 2| of the skirt.

5 A n advantage of the complete belt 25 is that it may be detachable, being merely looped through the belt openings as shown in Flg. 4 without being otherwise secured to the inner waistband, so that when the skirt is not worn the belt may either be removed or be worn to be in readiness for securing the waistband of the skirt, serving also to add to the appearance of the garment.

In order to make the skirt shadow-proof to a substantial degree, the front panels 30 of the skirt on either side of the front opening are made of double thickness of material as shown by Figs. 2 and 3. The double thickness extends most desirably all the way from the bottom of the skirt to the waistband, and the inner thick ness or piece 3| may be of the same material as the rest of the skirt or of other suitable material. Sagging of the waistband, which might otherwise be caused by the added weight of the doublethick front panels of the skirt, is prevented by the connecting means between the waistbands.

What is claimed is:

1. A combination garment, comprising a combined shirtwaist and shorts having a waistband at the waistline, and a skirt having a waistband adapted to be worn over the shorts, said waistbands having belt openings therethrough at points on the front portion thereof at either side of and spaced away from the front center thereof, and a belt looped through the belt openings of the waistband of the shirtwaist and shorts extending along the inner side of the front portion of said waistband with its end portions extending forwardly through the belt openings of said waistband and through the belt openings of the Waistband of the skirt and secured together in front.

2. A combination garment, comprising a combined shirtwaist and shorts having a waistband at the waistline, and a skirt having a waistband adapted to be worn over the shorts, the shirtwaist being made to open in front from the neck downward to the center of the waistline and the overlapping ends of its waistband being connected by a button on the inner overlapping end, and the skirt being made to open in front from its waistband downward and the overlapping ends of its waistband having buttonholes for attachment to said button, the waistband of the shirtwaist and shorts having two belt end portions extending from point on the front portion thereof at either side of and spaced from the front center thereof and held at such points against vertical movement relatively to the waistband, and the waistband of the skirt having at points on the front portion thereof on each side of and spaced from the front center thereof belt openings through which said belt end portions may be passed and be secured together extending over the middle front portion of the waistband of the skirt, whereby the waistband of the skirt is drawn snugly about the wearers waist and is prevented from sagging relatively to the waistband of the shirtwaist.

3. A combination garment, comprising a combined shirtwaist and shorts having a waistband at the waistline provided with fastening means, and a skirt having a waistband adapted to be worn over the shorts, the waistband of the shirtwaist and shorts having two belt end portions extending from points on the front portion thereof at either side of and spaced from the front center thereof and connected at such points with the waist and held at such points against vertical movement relatively to the waistband, said belt end portions being adapted to be secured together extending over the middle front portion of the waistband, and the waistband of the skirt having at points on the front portion thereof on each side of and spaced from the front center thereof belt openings through which said belt end portions may be passed and be secured together extending over the middle front portion of the waistband of the skirt, said belt openings being located at the points of connection of the belt ends with the waist, whereby the waistband of the skirt is drawn snugly about the wearers waist and is prevented from sagging relatively to the waistband of the shirtwaist,

DOROTHY JACKSON, 

